The present invention relates to displaying information on an electronic device in an interactive system.
Electronic devices, such as personal computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs), typically include a display to provide information (e.g., documents or directories of files) to a user. A user interface can present information on the display in one or more display panes. The viewing area of every pane is of a finite extent, so when a large amount of information is being displayed to a user, only part of the information typically is displayed in the pane at any given time.
User interfaces often allow a user to scroll through information along one or more dimensions. Scrolling allows a user to bring a section of the information that previously was out of sight into the pane. If a user cannot view all of the information simultaneously, it can be difficult for the user to keep track of what section of the information they are viewing.
A body of information is commonly organized into multiple (possibly overlapping) subsets of information that have associated visible labels, such as headings or names. For example, word-processing documents stored in a file system typically are arranged into named folders, the names of which are displayed in a user interface for the file system. Each document typically includes an associated filename or title that also is displayed. Within an individual document, sections and subsections typically have associated headings and subheadings that are displayed in a word-processing application. In a spreadsheet, a cell of information can have two or more associated headings, such as one heading for the column in which the cell is located, and one for the row.
When the information displayed in the pane of a conventional user interface is scrolled, the visible labels associated with subsets of the information scroll along with the information because the labels are part of the information. Some labels provide contextual cues (e.g., headings or directory names), and some labels provide details (e.g., the size or date of creation of a file) about the information with which they are associated.
Some user interfaces provide a separate window that displays contextual information for primary information being displayed in a main window. For example, in a file system, a directory tree often is displayed while a user views the contents of a folder. In a word-processing application, a listing of headings and subheadings in a document can be displayed in a separate pane while the user is editing the document. In a spreadsheet application, rows, columns, or both can be frozen so that they do not scroll with the other cells in a spreadsheet.
Certain display environments, in which the display of information is not controlled by a user, display a label when any portion of information with which the label is associated is visible. For example, a non-interactive display environment exists for displaying information on a television screen. The information is scrolled in a display area on the screen, and visible labels associated with subsets of the information scroll along with the information. When certain labels (e.g., start times in a directory of television programs) reach the top of the display area, the label is fixed while the subset of information continues to scroll. A viewer does not have control over the display of the information in this non-interactive display environment.
Some computer programs allow a user to place a comment in a document. The Adobe® Acrobat® application allows a user to place a comment in a document by adding an electronic sticky note. When displayed, a sticky note overlaps the content of the document and does not affect the original layout of the document. The sticky note can be displayed in a normal display position overlying a portion of the page on which the note is located. If the normal display position of the note is visible, the note scrolls with the content. If the normal display position of the note is not visible, but part of the page on which the note is located is visible, the note remains visible at an edge of the display area as the page is scrolled. When the page scrolls out of view, the note scrolls out of view as well. Highlighting can indicate specific words or lines in the document to which the sticky note is related, but the display behavior of the note is based on the page on which the note is placed, rather than on the highlighted text.